North Korea's undercover journalists revealmisery of life in dictatorship

Telegraph [UK] ^ | 11/27/10 | Julian Ryall

[Nachum]

With its ruthless dictator, network of forced labour camps and iron grip of its ruling party, North Korea is the last country one might expect to see a middle-aged woman berating a policeman for demanding a bribe.

But extraordinary video images smuggled out of North Korea, combined with reports of graffiti and posters critical of the regime, indicate a growing willingness among a previously cowed public to speak out and demand change.

Such dissent would once have been unthinkable in the reclusive state, but now hunger and plummeting living standards are now triggering demands for freedom - something that no North Korean has ever experienced.

[PA Engineer]

We might have problems and we might be unhappy with the current president, but America’s troubles don’t really seem all that bad compared to the ticking time bomb in Asia.

Amen.

[PA Engineer]

The average "citizen" of most countries would love the lifestyle and opportunities of America's "Poor."

A Chinese friend told me that we do not have poor in America, but we have takers. I was stunned by the observation. Of all places in the US this person (MD) moved to North Dakota. I told her there is only two seasons there, July and winter. She laughed but said she liked the people. A very long story, but very revealing.

[Ronin]

The irony is that, in terms of natural resources, North Korea is even richer than South Korea. If it were not so horribly mismanaged...

[VRW Conspirator]

bump for later

[P.O.E.]

My favorite part was when they’re at the huge, empty restaurant, obviously a Potemkin, and all they can rustle up for a main dish is some ox knuckle.

[TMA62]

I would love to condemn all communists in this country, including liberal democrats, college professors, hollywood stars, and news reporters to live in places like North Korea or Cuba for 2 years. That they would live like the peasants, not the few chosen elite. Then, I would bring them back and see if they had their reality check.

[winodog]

I like that. It also has deeper aspects to it then the obvious.

We need Takerholics Anonymous

My name is poorer then dirt and I am a takeaholic.
The more I take the more I want. I am never sastified.
I am caged in by the givers who steal stuff from honest hard working productive members of the society.

If the givers would stop stealing from its subjects and allowing other more special subjects to take the stolen stuff, I could break free from my chains.

[Christian Engineer Mass]

“China probably does not want to invest one soldiers life in anything going on in NK”

They would happily invest one soldier’s life. But not $20.

They do not think like we do.

[RWB Patriot]

And this is the system that’s supposed to care for the little man, or so we’re told.

[dr_who]

Unfortunately, totalitarianism is almost as self-sustaining as democracy, and democracies are fragile. Look at the whole of human history and tell me that totalitarianism doesn’t last “forever”. Maybe it doesn’t per se, but neither do men and women.

[2harddrive]

In North Korea, the Living envy the Dead!

[JohnBrowdie]

welcome to utopia

[newnhdad]

all they need is the right people running things there and communist would work.. rinse, repeat..

[Tzimisce]

Coming soon to a nation near you.

Just keep voting Democrat. :)

[SunkenCiv]

Such dissent would once have been unthinkable in the reclusive state, but now hunger and plummeting living standards are now triggering demands for freedom -- something that no North Korean has ever experienced.

Thanks Nachum.

[Gamecock]

***no cars***

Take a visit to the streets of Pyongyang by way of Google satellite. It is amazing.

[dfwgator]

Take a visit to the streets of Pyongyang by way of Google satellite. It is amazing.

The traffic girls are pretty cute. Of course there's no traffic.

[Gamecock]

Netflix currently has on their streaming video a National Geographic about North Korea. It’s well worth the watching to see how propaganda and utter fear have affected the population alone. We watched it today.

Thanks for mentioning that, I am watching it right now. Sad and frightening.

[MamaDearest]

Thanks for mentioning that, I am watching it right now. Sad and frightening.

You're welcome. It was quite a revealing video IMHO. Our jaws dropped when we saw the recipients of the eye surgeries overwhelmingly and repeatedly thanking their dear leader instead of the people who donated their time and hard work to help get their eyesight back for them.